Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Seen in September

2nd - HeartburnAfter reading a profile of Nora Ephron I decided to check out this very 80s classic. Meryl Streep is great. Jack Nicholson is good. The Carly Simon music is a little annoying. Would I recommend it? meh.

5th - Let The Right One InVampire film set in 1980s Sweden. The vampire in question is a 12-year-old girl. Odd. Worth a look. In Swedish with English sub-titles.

6th - Big Man JapanWho fights all those monsters that are always invading Japan? Big Man Japan of course. Turns out Japan's last Big Man is an aging divorced schlub. Strangest concoction of monsters ever imagined. Also the weirdest ending I've seen in a long, long time. In Japanese with English sub-titles.

7th - Dan in Real LifeI thought this was supposed to be a comedy? Wasn't this supposed to a comedy? Why did you lie to me? Why?

12th - Observe and ReportOne of the worst films I've ever illegally downloaded. This film deserves to be illegally downloaded then deleted. A most disturbing ending.

Year OneSome good jokes, but the trailer was better.

13th - L'AvventuraA masterpiece that I'm still trying to figure out.In Italian with English sub-titles.

17th - The ClassOne of the best films of the last year. Have you taught high school? Have you attended high school? Do you have kids in high school? See this film. In French avec sous-titres anglais.

18th - One WeekOne long Tim Hortons plug. Or was it commissioned by Tourism Canada? Not an awful film. Not a great film. Made me want to buy an old motorcycle and eat a donut. Great soundtrack full of Canadian Indie music.

19th - The Boat That RockedLots of fun, great music. The movie is about pirate radio in 60s Britain. Puts today's illegal downloads in some perspective.Note: the film has recently been released in North America under the more obvious title, "Pirate Radio" and marketed heavily as an American helping Brits get their "rock" on which, you will find, is not the case.

20th - Valentino, The Last EmperorA great look inside the world (luxurious world) of the renowned fashion designer, Valentino Garavani. More interesting though is Valentino's relationship with Giancarlo Giammetti, his long time partner in life and business. Mostly in Italian, partly in French, sometimes in broken English with English sub-titles.

26th - The Red DesertI now realize that many of Antonioni's films are about alienation and loneliness because the characters are, in fact, alienated and alone. Some pretty amazing scenes but I think I was done with loneliness and alienation at the 80 minute mark. Unfortunately, there was another 40 minutes. In Italian with English sub-titles (even Richard Harris is in Italian with English sub-titles).

27th - The Brothers BloomA con film with Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz. A fable about two brothers gifted in the art of the con. Trying waaaaaaaay to hard to be quirky and idiosyncratic while finding meaning in fraternal and romantic love, resulting in extreme dullness and disinterest. Pass.

28th - The Last Days of Lehman BrothersGreat BBC dramatization of the collapse of one of the world's biggest banks and the last weekend of desparate attempts to save it. In Banker-ese without English sub-titles.